July 17, 2012

I've left this too, too long. Catching up is difficult. However, quilting ideas continue to cause UFOs! I'm currently working on a machine applique wallhanging for a friend's 60th anniversary. My machine finally hit maximum mileage and is now in the repair shop. Luckily, good friends have come to the rescue and I'm learning how to speak Bernina.

Like the rest of the country, we're experiencing an extreme weather situation. Seems like Pittsburgh is trying to imitate the hot and humid weather of New Orleans. Leaving there 21+ years ago, I thought I'd left all that behind! That said, the tomatoes, squash and zucchini keep coming, and tonight I'm going to fix a cool pasta salad:

Ingredients can be increased or omitted

Diced tomatoes 4 small, 2 large
Red and/or green pepper, diced
Yellow squash, small, diced
Zucchini, small, diced
Onion - small, diced
Other vegetables as desired, i.e., fresh or frozen broccoli
Other options: add cooked chicken chunks, cooked shrimp, ham or crisp bacon

Place in salad bowl and marinate in salad dressing for several hours at room temperature
Italian salad dressing, (I use the packets and reverse the amounts of vinegar and water)

Prepare spaghetti, drain and mix with vegetables. Serve while the pasta is still warm.

This keeps well in refrigerator, if there are leftovers

Knitting and Quilting

Knitting and quilting are two of my favorite things to do. I've knitted since I was about 8-9 years old, answering the phone in a hair salon in exchange for the owner's knitting instructions! Now that I can afford some of the gorgeous yarns, I yearn for even more time to actually knit! And quilt making is the same way. Perhaps having many unfinished projects lulls me into thinking that I will finish them in this lifetime!

Greenlawn Place -- Part of Pittsburgh's History

Greenlawn Place is a one block-long private street and the entire block once was the home of H. J. Heinz called just Greenlawn. The estate included a large, sprawling house, carriage house (now 8 apartments) and his private clock museum. At his death in 1919, the house was left to the city, and subsequently sold to a contractor who razed the house, used the woodwork to create the apartments in the carriage house, and then joined the ends of the horseshoe driveway into the little street behind the wrought-iron fence. The ends of the drives form the openings to Penn Avenue and each end has a pair of stone pillars. Greenlawn Place follows the numbering and uses the Penn Avenue address. Otherwise, no one would find us!
The contractor built 11 houses on the street, during the 1920's. We have the fence and a deep lawn between us and the traffic and feel rather snug.